The ongoing financial crisis has forced the national carrier of Pakistan, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), to cancel 26 flights. These cancelled flights were scheduled to depart from various cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Multan, and Gwadar.
The financial crunch has led to a shortage of fuel supply, resulting in the cancellation of these flights. The airline is currently facing a financial crunch as Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has halted fuel supply due to non-payment of dues.
The PIA administration reportedly addresses the issue and hopes to restore the fuel supply by Sunday once credit lines are available. A PIA spokesperson states that they are accommodating passengers affected by the cancellations on alternate flights.
They cancelled a total of 18 flights from Karachi, including three headed for Islamabad. They also cancelled two flights from Lahore and Islamabad to Karachi. According to the fuel adjustment plan, only three flights will depart from Karachi on Sunday.
In September, the PIA requested an emergency bailout of Rs 22.9 billion which was turned down by Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). The ECC also rejected a request to defer payments of Rs 1.3 billion per month, which PIA pays to FBR against Federal excise duty (FED), and Rs 0.7 billion per month paid to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) against embarking charges.
Complaints regarding ground handling and fuel company complaints temporarily held one of the airline’s flights in Canada.They released the plane after clearing dues worth $200,000. In August, the airline had to ground 11 aircraft as the financial crisis deepened due to a lack of funds and a rise in petroleum product prices.
This situation has sparked concerns about the future viability of Pakistan International Airlines and its ability to maintain operations in the face of such a severe financial crisis.
